That dork with the fruitcake
by OnAMission
Summary: Duke's having a secret santa party.


I hate Disclaimers. They just remind me that I own nothing. So yeah… I own nothing.

I love writing about Winter in Haven. It seems like it would be so pretty there :D

Christmas parties were one of the only social gatherings that Nathan Wuornos would participate in willingly. Although he wasn't too fond of Secret Santa parties, he would make do. He mostly didn't like them because you weren't supposed to tell anybody whose name you got, until you gave them the present. But, he never even told after he gave his gift away.

When he got off of work that Friday afternoon, The Grey Gull was his point of interest. Duke had called him earlier and told him that he had to come pick up the slip of paper that would tell him who he needed to spend his money on.

He opened the door and walked over to the bar where he saw Duke cleaning a glass.

"Ah Nathan," Duke smirked and pulled a hat out from under the bar, "Here we go. Stick your hand in the hat."

Nathan did as he was told. Because Nathan wouldn't be able to feel if he had only gotten one piece of paper, Duke allowed him to look in the hat. He grabbed a piece quickly, unfolded it and read the name.

"I've got to pick again," Nathan told Duke.

"Nope," Duke shook his head, "Even if it's a person you don't like, you still have to buy them something."

"I got my own name," Nathan lied and tried to put the slip of paper back in the baseball cap. Duke pulled the hat away before he could.

"You did not. I don't believe you," Duke raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," Nathan opened the piece of paper and showed it to him, "I got Ms. Way."

Duke pushed the hat back to Nathan quickly, "Hurry up and stick it back in the hat. Even I wouldn't wish that torture on you."

"Thank-you," Nathan said quietly as he pulled another name and read it.

Not wanting to spend any more time with Duke than was absolutely necessary, he turned on his heel and began walking out of the restaurant.

"Thanks again Duke," he called over his shoulder.

"Don't spend more than fifteen dollars!" He heard Duke yell at him after he had opened the door. A smirk spread across Nathan's face that he didn't even know was there until he saw it in his rearview mirror on the way home.

The party was held on December 22nd in The Grey Gull, the dark night outside made the attendants feel closed in. You could vaguely see the snow that was piling up outside, threatening the partiers to be snowed in. It was warm in the restaurant, everyone chatting and laughing.

"So who did you get," Audrey asked Duke while sipping on the drink in her hand.

"Julia," he whispered to her with a grin, "Don't tell."

"What did you get her?" Audrey smiled back.

"A sweater," Duke shrugged it off as nothing.

"Cool, sweaters are nice."

Everyone had already opened their presents, but people usually didn't tell who they had bought for.

"Who did you get?" It was his turn to ask.

"Ms. Way," Audrey sighed.

"Oh," he chuckled.

"The woman is so hard to buy for! I finally settled on a cat snow globe," Audrey huffed.

"Oh, I know. One year I got her name and couldn't think of anything to get her that she doesn't already have. Or wouldn't burn," he trailed off the statement, thinking of the time that Ms. Way had had a bonfire out on her front yard.

"Do you have any idea who got me this," Audrey asked, motioning towards the necklace she was wearing. It was a small solid gold star pendant hanging off of the thin gold chain.

"I have an idea," Duke smirked, "I can usually guess who got who from the way that they watch each other."

Audrey raised her eyebrow at him, questioning his ability to do that.

"For instance," he continued, "It's obvious that Ms. Rivas got Nathan that disgusting fruitcake he's holding and the ugly scarf he's wearing," he waved his hand in the direction of a sheepish looking Nathan, staring down at a large fruitcake in his hands. Ms. Rivas was eyeing him curiously, as if to see if he liked it or not.

"Alright, I can see that," Audrey nodded, "Now, answer my question. Do you know who got me this?"

"Well, no one in the room is looking at you right now. If someone were looking at you then I would be able to te-" Duke cut off his words as soon as he saw someone's eyes catch on Audrey's necklace, "Ahh, okay."

"What?"

"Well, I did see someone go into the jewelry store the other day," he teased her, "Someone who wouldn't normally go into one."

She snorted, "Uh huh, I knew you didn't know."

"Hey, don't sell me up short. I bet you twenty bucks that I know who bought you that."

"You have no clue who bought me this," she laughed, "But I'm curious."

"You laughed at me, I'm not telling," and before she had a chance to tell him that she was only kidding, he was off onto the floor looking for someone else to mingle with. She sat down on a chair and watched the room.

Duke had made his way across the floor, through the throng of people, to where Nathan stood holding the fruitcake in his left hand at his side.

"I thought I told you that you could only spend fifteen dollars?"

"Who said I spent more than fifteen dollars?" Nathan raised an eyebrow curiously.

"The necklace that is currently hanging around Audrey's neck."

"And who says I didn't get your name?"

Duke crossed his arms and stared at the man in front of him, "The fact that I actually got a nice present. And because I made sure that my name wasn't in the hat when you picked."

"Oh."

"Yeah, well, I have good reason for you not to get my name. Now don't I?"

"True," Nathan chuckled. This was the one time of year where it didn't kill him to be civilized towards Duke.

"So, have you had fun pretending that you like Ms. Rivas' gifts?" Duke asked with a grin.

"That's who got me this?" Nathan asked, Duke nodded, "Well, I like the scarf."

Duke whispered, "I think it's kind of ugly."

"Just because you don't like blue and green doesn't mean that everyone else doesn't either," Nathan shot back, not enjoying Duke's ridicule of his scarf.

"And then you got a stinky fruitcake. But that's to be expected, she gives one away every year."

"And what did you get that is so spectacular?" Nathan asked sarcastically.

"A bathrobe."

"Wonderful."

Duke glared at Nathan and excused himself. He found Audrey again.

"Yep, I know who got you the necklace."

"Who?" Her eyes wide with curiosity.

"The guy who's standing over there like a dork with a fruitcake in his hand."


End file.
